Lake levels should show signs of gain

Winter has seemingly lasted forever, delivering snowstorm after snowstorm, which has been bad for those looking forward to spring, but great for area lakes.

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By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Cheboygan Daily Tribune - Cheboygan, MI

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Posted Apr. 18, 2013 at 7:44 PM

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Posted Apr. 18, 2013 at 7:44 PM

CHEBOYGAN

Winter has seemingly lasted forever, delivering snowstorm after snowstorm, which has been bad for those looking forward to spring, but great for area lakes.

March and April have been defined by snowstorms, a complete contrast from spring during the last several years. The still-visible snow banks are clear reminders of the brutal winter that has been and the amount of water that will run into the Great Lakes before this spring is through.

“Winter is really important,” said Jennifer McKay, policy specialist with the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council. “Winter has one of the greatest impacts of lake levels. When we get cold winters more ice coves the lake, so we have less evaporation. The more snow we get means the more runoff in the spring.”

Precipitation and evaporation are the chief players in water level fluctuations, making climate a critical component. Precipitation adds water to the lakes, while evaporation extracts it. On bodies of water as large as the Great Lakes, it takes time for these factors to become noticeable. Unfortunately, nature has been working against lake levels for some time now.

“What the lakes really need is significant wet periods,” said McKay. “Even if we had an extremely wet spring and got heavy precipitation, it would not be enough for the Lake Michigan/Huron levels to return to average. That would have to happen for several consecutive years.”

Though one year might not be enough for lakes to completely rebound from the extended low precipitation period the region has experienced, this winter should help.

Ice formation was aided by the consistent cold and snow, but an increased snow pack was the most visible winter asset. Snow banks in area parking lots and along roadways were as high as they have been in several years, bringing back recollections of winters of old. The spring runoff should also be reminiscent.

“Spring run off is really important to lake levels,” explained Keith Kompoltowicz, chief of watershed hydrology with the Detroit branch of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. “The deeper the snowpack the more spring runoff.”

As far as precipitation goes, this spring should continue to benefit the lakes. According to Tim Locker, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord, the National Climate Prediction Center is call for higher than normal precipitation for both April and May.

As the snowpack makes its way into area lakes and precipitation continues to fall, lake levels should be slowly rebounding.